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Tony Blair in Bethlehem, on Thursday. (AP)
Last update - 00:00 23/05/2008
Israeli warplanes almost shoot down Tony Blair's plane
By The Associated Press
Tags: Tony Blair 

Israeli fighter jets scrambled to intercept an unidentified aircraft suspected to be hostile this week, only to find out that it carried none other than International Mideast peace envoy Tony Blair, a top military official said Friday.

Blair, the former British prime minister, was flying on a private plane from the World Economic Forum summit in Sinai, Egypt to an investment conference in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Wednesday when his plane penetrated Israeli airspace and failed to respond to repeated control tower radio calls demanding it identify itself, the official said.

As is common practice in such a case, the Israeli air force scrambled two fighter jets to intercept the aircraft. They flew above Blair's plane and quickly established contact with the cockpit, whose pilot informed them of the famous traveler on board, the official added. Blair's plane apparently had a technical malfunction and could not hear the Israeli control tower's calls.
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The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the media.

When asked about the incident, the army spokesman's office said "the air force does not comment on its operational activities."

Blair spokesman Matthew Doyle, who was also on board, said Blair and others were unaware of the drama unfolding around them and only found out about it all when fielding calls from reporters.

"Mr. Blair was one of a number of delegates on a flight back from the World Economic Forum in Sharm El Sheik," he said Friday. "We were not aware of any problem at the time, and have not been notified of any issue with the flight."

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      1.   Arrogant Brits, next time force them to land and strip them at 21:18  |  IL supporter 23/05/08
      2.   It was a hostile aircraft 21:38  |  Boris 23/05/08
      3.   that would have been quite some story 21:45  |  adel ghananm 23/05/08
      4.   Haaretz loves to exadurate 22:06  |  Gili 23/05/08
      5.   If the plane would have had a "Reuters" marking..... 22:12  |  Swiss (Dino) 23/05/08
      6.   Blair should stop his crap 22:32  |  Brod 23/05/08
      7.   Oh what Bad News 23:06  |  Michael 23/05/08
      8.   High flying Tony...oooOOPS. 00:55  |  Stephen. 24/05/08
      9.   clickfool conspiracy... 01:01  |  mousesavy 24/05/08
      10.   tony tony 01:01  |  paul baars 24/05/08
      11.   Blair`s plane 01:05  |  Nezam el Jenini 24/05/08
      12.   Dhimmi Associated Press : Don`t Violate Israel Airspace 01:23  |  Joseph . E 24/05/08
      13.   Swiss dinosaur can`t resist temptation 01:41  |  Lourdes 24/05/08
      14.   The problem is Brits don`t have radio mechanics 01:43  |  * BEN JABO 24/05/08
      15.   Did Egypt Failed in Int`l Airflights Protocol Procedure ? 02:00  |  Joseph . E 24/05/08
      16.   Would anybody miss him? 02:21  |  Arik Silverman 24/05/08
      17.   If Blair`s plane had U.N. markings... 02:24  |  Maureen Ann 24/05/08
      18.   The Talent needed to fix the ME Crisis 05:34  |  Shimon Cleopas 24/05/08
      19.   Dino #5 - not a chance..... 05:34  |  Rozz 24/05/08
      20.   Reason for things that happen-Judgment 06:32  |  Yahshuah Tsidkenu 24/05/08
      21.   # 17 Shimon Cleopas 07:14  |  Joseph . E 24/05/08
      22.   The Map says it all 08:15  |  Chuckie 24/05/08
      23.   AP`s Headline Misleading In Comparison to the Article`s Content 09:01  |  Josep.E 24/05/08
      24.   Hats off to IAF! We showed defensive restraint in a tough call 09:35  |  An Israeli 24/05/08
      25.   Reader stupidity... 09:35  |  Michael 24/05/08
      26.   Dino and Reuters 10:10  |  Wenger 24/05/08
      27.   Sensationalist title: Corrupted IAF officer 10:37  |  Ulf 24/05/08
      28.   Nezam from Jenin 10:44  |  x-ray 24/05/08
      29.   Who really cares 10:48  |  David 24/05/08
      30.   Too much dust 11:44  |  Keops 24/05/08
      31.   Map, confused... 12:04  |  Dutch 24/05/08
      32.   What an exxaguration, what a yellow shame! 12:29  |  Civilized reader 24/05/08
      33.   Racist Dino,why you Swiss have an airforce at all? 13:19  |  Absolute Sweden 24/05/08
      34.   MAUREEN"flying on a private plane from the World Economic Forum" 13:28  |  PETER SM 24/05/08
      35.   Should have shot it down (over Dimona) 14:03  |  Chanalau, Tova 24/05/08
      36.   DINO.Your evidence being? 14:13  |  PETER SM 24/05/08
      37.   # 12 Lourdes, with all due respect, but I would still insist.... 14:20  |  Swiss (Dino) 24/05/08
      38.   # 25 Wenger 14:31  |  Swiss (Dino) 24/05/08
      39.   # 35 PETER SM 14:56  |  Swiss (Dino) 24/05/08
      40.   Chanalau Ra`a 15:01  |  x-ray 24/05/08
      41.   # 19 Rozz, the mercy of our Lord is (almost) endless.... 15:05  |  Swiss (Dino) 24/05/08
      42.   red cross or ambulance on its side would 15:18  |  sam i am 24/05/08
      43.   # 39 Swiss....yes, take an incident 15:37  |  Lynn 24/05/08
      44.   The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not 16:20  |  MR 24/05/08
      45.   absurd stupid sweden 16:25  |  wh 24/05/08
      46.   Chanalau Ra`a 16:43  |  x-ray 24/05/08
      47.   Typical Israeli Army war mongering. 19:06  |  Dutch 24/05/08
      48.   I wish theyd shot it down because... 20:44  |  Jimmy 24/05/08
      49.   Jimmy the brat 48 23:36  |  ChanahS 24/05/08
      50.   Swiss the benign hater 23:40  |  ChanahS 24/05/08
      51.   # 43 Lynn 01:00  |  Swiss (Dino) 25/05/08
      52.   #17 Maureen Anne 01:12  |  * BEN JABO 25/05/08
      53.   #47 Dutch you Dummy 01:14  |  * BEN JABO 25/05/08
      54.   #48 Jimmy NYC 01:16  |  * BEN JABO 25/05/08
      55.   #42 sam u were 01:18  |  * BEN JABO 25/05/08
      56.   Almost is not good enough! 01:27  |  Pervert 25/05/08
      57.   Incomplete story, lack of facts, poor reporting by Haaretz 01:30  |  Romano 25/05/08
      58.   whew! that was close! but WHAT IF: (2nd try) 01:41  |  eric 25/05/08
      59.   re: looks like israel nearly did something useful for once 02:24  |  Neil 25/05/08
      60.   #30 PeterSM. "World wide protocols on aircraft." 03:49  |  Maureen Ann 25/05/08
      61.   IAF COULD HAVE DONE US A FAVOUR 03:56  |  VIPER 25/05/08
      62.   ERIC Which part of the rules of identification too hard for U? 04:49  |  PETER SM 25/05/08
      63.   #14, Ben Jabo... 04:57  |  Silvienne 25/05/08
      64.   #34, PeterSM to Maureen... 04:59  |  Silvienne 25/05/08
      65.   MAUREEN.Your friends are at war with Israel 05:42  |  PETER SM 25/05/08
      66.   SYLVIENNE The IAF aircraft were legitimate targets 05:47  |  PETER SM 25/05/08
      67.   VIPER.Lebanese are experts at assasinating politicians 05:50  |  PETER SM 25/05/08
      68.   #63 Silvienne - It`s cold in Pennsylvania 06:23  |  * BEN JABO 25/05/08
      69.   Blair`s pilot should have had more brains 06:28  |  * BEN JABO 25/05/08
      70.   #67 Peter: Some of our politicians were assassinated by Israel 07:25  |  Aounist 25/05/08
      71.   #60 Maureen Ann - Again with Cluster Bombs 07:27  |  * BEN JABO 25/05/08
      72.   # 62 to peters m re: straw and arguments 07:43  |  eric 25/05/08
      73.   IL Supporter 09:06  |  Palestinian Brit 25/05/08
      74.   #65, PeterSM... 09:22  |  Silvienne 25/05/08
      75.   #66, PeterSM... 09:25  |  Silvienne 25/05/08
      76.   For # 11 Nezam 10:10  |  George 25/05/08
      77.   #68, Ben Jabo... 11:15  |  Silvienne 25/05/08
      78.   Ben Jabo & Blair... 11:17  |  Silvienne 25/05/08
      79.   Ben Jabo... 11:23  |  Silvienne 25/05/08
      80.   # 17 A PRIVATE PLAN HAD UN MARKINGS? 14:39  |  petra 25/05/08
      81.   #77 Silvienne - For my part 15:06  |  * BEN JABO 25/05/08
      82.   #78 Silvienne 15:09  |  * BEN JABO 25/05/08
      83.   #79 Silvienne re: Maureen Ann 15:12  |  * BEN JABO 25/05/08
      84.   # 60 maureen and the pals rockets into Israels air space? 15:35  |  petra 25/05/08
      85.   # 70 syria murders your politicians not Israel. 15:37  |  petra 25/05/08
      86.   #5 Swiss (Dino) Why do you make such baseless accusations 16:14  |  Max Zinger,P.Chimist 25/05/08
      87.   Silvienne - are you using inverted racism? 18:03  |  Zelkha 25/05/08
      88.   #79-2 Silvienne - I have duly noted your conern 20:12  |  * BEN JABO 25/05/08
      89.   #81, Ben Jabo...I think that is very reasonable... 03:10  |  Silvienne 26/05/08
      90.   #82, Ben Jabo...security 03:13  |  Silvienne 26/05/08
      91.   #87, Zelkha....surely you jest.... 03:25  |  Silvienne 26/05/08
      92.   Mr. Tony Blair where is your power? 05:13  |  Never again Tourist 26/05/08
      93.   They should have attacked his plane ,just like we did the U.S.S. 20:58  |  true blue jew 26/05/08
      94.   #89 Silvienne - Indo/Pak isn`t Middlle Eastern 21:17  |  * BEN JABO 26/05/08
      95.   #90 Security isn`t the security you know 21:20  |  * BEN JABO 26/05/08
      96.   #93 Tubercular pretend Jew 21:24  |  * BEN JABO 26/05/08
      97.   #95, Ben Jabo...I knew you`d say that! 08:04  |  Silvienne 27/05/08
      98.   #97 Silvienne - Nothing is guaranteed 100% 16:01  |  * BEN JABO 27/05/08
      99.   you have it wrong;it should read none other but the PIECE keeper! 16:37  |  glenna 24/12/08
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